Gearing Up for Innovation: Bicycles, Engineering, and Amsterdam
PGS: Bicycles: The Mechanical Advantage
Max, one of the Penn Global Seminar Correspondents, shares his experience abroad during the Spring 2025 semester. Follow along with the group of correspondents on our blog and look out for their images on the @pennabroad Instagram feed.
As we prepare for our Penn Global Seminar trip to Amsterdam, our studies have centered on the mechanics and design of bicycles. In our course, Bicycles: The Mechanical Advantage, we’ve explored the evolution of bicycles since the late 1800s. Gaining this historical perspective has helped us better appreciate the structural science behind modern designs.
The rider pedals cranks fixed to the front wheels to propel forward.
By further analyzing the forces, stresses, and moments acting on a modern bike frame, we’re beginning to understand why bicycles are designed the way they are and how engineering constraints shape their development. From material selection to fabrication techniques, we are learning how engineering decisions impact both performance and durability, laying the groundwork for what we will further explore in the Netherlands.
Rethinking the bike frame: Can bamboo work?
One of the most interesting discussions in class has been whether a bike frame could be constructed from bamboo. This unconventional material offers several advantages: it is lightweight, strong in compression, and grows rapidly, making it both sustainable and cost-effective.
However, challenges arise when considering how bamboo handles non-axial loading, shear stresses, and environmental factors like moisture and temperature fluctuations. Additionally, the feasibility of constructing durable joints without welding remains a critical concern. Exploring these constraints as a group is helping us think critically about alternative materials and how innovation can push bicycle engineering forward.
A week of hands-on learning
With one of the most advanced cycling infrastructures in the world, Amsterdam provides the perfect environment to see how bicycles shape urban life. Our trip begins with visits to cultural landmarks such as the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, and a canal cruise.
However, the heart of our experience will focus on understanding Amsterdam’s cycling infrastructure. In the following days, we will rent bikes to explore Vondelpark, participate in a full-day workshop with the Urban Cycling Institute, and engage in a city-wide cycling scavenger hunt to experience how the city’s design supports an integrated cycling culture.
From Amsterdam, we’ll travel to Delft, home to the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), one of the world’s top engineering institutions. There, we’ll visit the Industrial Design building and the Bicycle Laboratorium, where we’ll meet with researchers studying the mechanics of cycling.
A scenic ride through the Dutch countryside will allow us to experience firsthand the renowned inter-city cycling network. In our final days, we will visit the Maeslantkering, an impressive storm surge barrier that highlights Dutch excellence in engineering and infrastructure.
The value of a global perspective
This trip is more than just an academic exercise. It’s an opportunity to connect classroom theory with real-world applications. Beyond the technical aspects of bicycle engineering, it offers a chance to examine how different countries approach transportation, infrastructure, and sustainability.
Travel allows us to see the world through different lenses, exposing us to ideas and innovations that we might not encounter at home. Amsterdam’s cycling culture is a model of efficiency, accessibility, and urban design, and by learning from it, we can think critically about how to apply these principles elsewhere.
There is so much to gain from studying how other nations solve problems, and this experience will deepen not just our engineering knowledge, but also our appreciation for global perspectives and solutions.
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